Road Bike

[J.M]

Hi,

I have a road bike and I need a transport to get to my current job. It's about 12 km from my flat but I have to go up two hills, one of them it's 1.5 km long. I woul like to know the most suitable ebike kit to a road bike, the range of the battery will be 25-30 kms, and I don't know what is the best option, hub engine in rear wheel, or hub engine in front wheel, or mid engine. I need a trusty ebike kit.
Please help me whit your tips and experiences.
Thank you for your time.

 

[JoePah]

Sounds like a pretty easy commute problem.. does your road bike have an Aluminum or Carbon fiber front fork?
What size rim and tires do you have?

There are plenty of kits out there ranging from $500 to $2500. There's also cheap commuter eBikes for the same money... Depends what you want to do besides commuting.

I have 3 road bikes and what i've found is that the drop down handlebars and lack of fenders doesn't make them ideal commuter bikes.

Crazy lenny has a very inexepensive commuter bike for sale EG Zurich.. take a look! http://www.crazylennysebikes.com

 

[George S.]

Posting on two forums tends to confuse people...

 

[Nirmala]

The ShareRoller is another approach to adding electric power to almost any bike that you can also easily remove if you want to sometimes ride your bike without electric assist:
http://igg.me/at/shareroller/x/12713097

 

[J.M]

Sorry!!!!
I didn't know what is the most suitable foro to this thread.
I woul like to attach a photo. It's steel frame 56 size, and the rim steel too and 700 mm. It was a road bike, and I tried to transform it into a fixie, but at the end it's an old road bike.
About the hills I have to go up every day, there is a hard point, it's 7-9 % for 200 metres. The rest of the streth of hill it's abou 3-4%
In the photo you can see a different handle bar. I've recently changed the handle bar to another one more simple, whitout tape.
Thank you for your time and advises.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)

 

[JoePah]

@J.M sorry but your photo did not upload.. link doesn't work.

You have an old bike with old wheels old crank old brakes, old saddle. You'll end up upgrading all those parts to make it a daily rider with an electric motor. It will cost you around $500 just to bring the bicycle up to something worthwhile.

Unless you love old bicycles, like I do, and are willing to sink some money into it. just buy a nice commuter eBike. Everything will be new and modern and will work together.

Just look at the reviews on this website and the web. There is a bike at every budget level, and your needs are pretty typical. Just make sure it has a derailleur or such. Stick with a Direct Drive rear wheel hub motor if you can.


If you want to build your own ebike, suggest you start with a newer bicycle that doesn't need any work.

Look for demos this time of year.

 

[J.M]

I'm really sorry for not attaching the picture before.


This is the photo.
It´s 25 years old bike.
Road bike, with steel frame, 700 mm rims
7 shimano gears in the rear wheel.
Mid engine? Front wheel engine? Rear engine? Direct wheel engine or not?

Thank for your time and for your experiences.

 

[George S.]

You might be able to put a small front hub on this bike, since it has a steel fork. Not many people convert road bikes. Those bars make it hard to mount things like throttles, and you need brakes with cut-offs. Are you in Britain? They have low wattage standards, for the bikes. I have a road bike I wanted to convert and it just doesn't seem to work. Maybe a Bafang BBS02 with a pedal assist only.

You could get a decent online bike and convert that, something more like a hybrid or 'city' type bike. From Bikes Direct the cost is maybe $300 to $400. Do you have a budget?

 

[J.M]

Thank you George.
I don't understand why people don't transform their road bikes into ebike, why they are not so popular road electric bike?


It is an steel fork.
My budget is about 400 €. I'm from Spain, and I think there is Eurepean Law about ebike, the top power of your ebike engine is only 250 w, if you want to use your bike daily on the streets of your city, you have to purchase a 250 w engine, no more power. It's crazy!!!

Thank you for your help.

 

[George S.]

Hi @J.M

The 250 watt limit works in your favor in one way. You can't really put a lot of stress on a frame with 250 watts. If you can find a small front hub motor and get it mounted to a steel fork, with a torque arm, you should be OK. Then you need a battery and I'm not sure what you can find. You need a controller, between the battery and motor.

Basically, most basic do it yourself kits have a throttle to control the motor. With a drop bar, people have a couple of riding positions, so you have to find a throttle you can position somewhere that works. You can probably use the brakes you have, if you just use a throttle. Otherwise you need cut-off switches built into the brakes.

That would be a basic kit. A hub motor for the front. The motor is often sold laced into a wheel, or you could have it done. The rim should be in good shape. Then you have a controller and battery.

You'll have to look around to see what is available, but you probably could do something. Most people put a motor on a bike and want to sit in an upright position, and they want a suspension fork, things that don't quite work on a road bike. You could change the bars. A 250 watt motor would help getting up hills, but you'd want to pedal.

Be careful in assessing the frame.

http://www.treehugger.com/bikes/6-DIY-electric-bike-conversion-tips.html

 

[J.M]

Finally I've decided that the best option is a mid drive engine, the 8Fun engine and 250 watt. The controler is included into the engine. But the price of the engine is all my budget 400-500 €, althought I've watch a video about DIY battery for 55 €. I have some tools like a little soldering gun or similar. What do you think about that? Is it a crazzy idea to build my own battery?

I've found on the internet batteries (samsung cells, 36 v and 10,4 Ah) for 400 €, it's too much.

I'm going to rethink the idea of transforming my road bike into ebike.

Thank you for your tips and comments.

 

[flymeaway]

Is it a crazzy idea to build my own battery?

Short answer...yes. It is virtually impossible to assemble a battery for a lower cost then buying one. You also run the risk of making a mistake that will create problems for you after assembly.

Court J.

 

[dermbrian]

The ShareRoller is another approach to adding electric power to almost any bike that you can also easily remove if you want to sometimes ride your bike without electric assist:
http://igg.me/at/shareroller/x/12713097

I love the concept. Minimal modification to your own rideable, decent bicycle; a bicycle designed for super-efficient, human powered travel. The ability to disconnect and carry the powerplant into your place of work. The ability to use the same powerplant on multiple bikes. But....and it's a big but....what happens when it breaks? What happens when the battery life is over and you want to replace the battery?

I'd be saving up my $$$ now if this was a product that was going to be supported 2-5-10 years down the road. I don't see those aspects discussed at all. I'm only beginning to consider an e-bike, and recently purchased a new Diamondback Insight STI-8 hybrid/internally geared bike that's a joy to ride, with the plan of adding an electric drive in a few years. I have a feeling that most e-bikes focus on the 'e' part at the expense of the 'bike' part, but since they are almost impossible to find in real life in Dallas, I'm not certain of that.

Brian

 

[Nirmala]

I love the concept. Minimal modification to your own rideable, decent bicycle; a bicycle designed for super-efficient, human powered travel. The ability to disconnect and carry the powerplant into your place of work. The ability to use the same powerplant on multiple bikes. But....and it's a big but....what happens when it breaks? What happens when the battery life is over and you want to replace the battery?

I'd be saving up my $$$ now if this was a product that was going to be supported 2-5-10 years down the road. I don't see those aspects discussed at all. I'm only beginning to consider an e-bike, and recently purchased a new Diamondback Insight STI-8 hybrid/internally geared bike that's a joy to ride, with the plan of adding an electric drive in a few years. I have a feeling that most e-bikes focus on the 'e' part at the expense of the 'bike' part, but since they are almost impossible to find in real life in Dallas, I'm not certain of that.

Brian

Well, one thing about the ShareRoller is that if it does break, it would be very easy to dismount the unit and send it in for repairs. And in the meantime, you would still have your normal and probably lighter weight bike available to ride. If a heavy dedicated ebike's electric assist system breaks down, it is not typically very ride-able without the electric assist. With the total weight of the ShareRoller coming in at only 5-8 pounds (depending on what size battery is used) even riding home right after your system breaks down or your battery is depleted is still pretty doable if the bike you are using is lightweight. Riding anywhere on my Magnum Ui5 without electric assist is a real bear.

Also the battery is removable and so can be easily replaced and or swapped for a second battery to extend the range. Also, since the battery is removable, you would not need to send the battery in for repairs, just the motor/control part of the unit, which simplifies things regarding shipping of lithium batteries. I ordered a ShareRoller with the medium sized battery, and if it works well for me, I will probably add a second battery that I can carry with me to extend the range for longer rides.

As for the question of long term support, there is no way to predict if any company will be around in the future. Even when you buy a dedicated ebike, you are taking a gamble on the existence of any support in the future. I have a good sense of the business acumen of the guy who is developing the ShareRoller, so I am hopeful for its future prospects, but of course there is no track record to judge by.

 

[dermbrian]

Good points, Nirmala. Maybe it would be possible (not practical, but possible....) for a desperate user to modify the unit to use an external water-bottle type battery if you reached a point where the battery was at the end of its life and the unit was still OK. I've bookmarked his site and 'liked' his facebook page. I'll be following this product and beginning the long negotiation with the wife........

 

[EddieJ]

Thank you George.
I don't understand why people don't transform their road bikes into ebike, why they are not so popular road electric bike?
.

Here in the UK, converting a road bike is a very popular choice. Oxydrive are seemingly one of the most common of choices. http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/forums/electric-bike-conversion-kits.42/

There is a used Oxdrive kit in the classified section at the moment, that might well be worth looking into. http://www.pedelecs.co.uk